challenges of urban waste management in uyo metropolis

Civil and Environmental Research www.iiste.org

ISSN 2224-5790 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0514 (Online)

Vol.7, No.2, 2015

196

Challenges of urban waste management in Uyo Metropolis,

Nigeria

Anthony Adomi Mbina*

Edem, Ephraim E

Department of Architecture, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria

* E-mail of corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Waste generation is an integral aspect of human existence that is unavoidable. It is a product of resource use

process that has the capacity to be inconveniencing and harmful leading in extreme cases to pollution with

resultant epidemics and catastrophic consequences. Therefore, waste generated through human activities need to

be properly managed through concrete efforts, to maintain a healthy and sustainable environment. The purpose

of this research is to examine the challenges of waste generation, management, collection and disposal

mechanism in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Data collection was carried out through a field survey

using personal observations, structured interviews and questionnaire administration. Findings revealed that about

30,350 metric tons of Municipal Solid Waste, (MSW), is generated per day in Uyo urban centre. The study

further shows that inadequate equipment coupled with understaffing at the State Ministry of Environment and

Mineral Resources engender accumulation of waste in several parts of the town. The results of this study will

hopefully generate recommendations for sustainable waste management development in Uyo.

Keywords: waste generation. waste collection. waste disposal. waste management. biodegradable.

1.0 Introduction

Waste generation is one of the earliest activities attributable to human beings and a significant part of

anthropological and archaeological documentation of past civilizations. The term waste is used to denote any

item or object that is no longer suitable for use in the owner’s or user’s consideration. Waste can be products or

by–products of certain processes or remnants of useful items that are considered as no longer useful. It is

therefore not possible for human beings to live without generating waste as they engage in diverse activities that

naturally result in waste generation. Once waste is generated, it has to be collected and disposed or recycled in

order to prevent it from constituting nuisance, health problems to humans and wildlife, environmental pollution

or other forms of inconveniences. Waste generation and its disposal and management is a paramount issue in

sustainability of the built environment and the future of the planet; particularly as the complex components

create greater environmental pollutions and make waste disposal and management more difficult ( Jatau, 2013).

Waste comes in three broad forms of solid, liquid and gaseous waste. Solid waste which consists of refuse,

garbage, rubbish, dead animals, construction wastes, etc., may either be biodegradable or non – biodegradable,

combustible or non – combustible. Examples of solid wastes are; broken glasses, plastics, metals, broken blocks,

food remnants, papers, wood, cloth, etc. (Adewale and Litherland, 2011). Solid wastes from households,

commercial and industrial sources are called Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), and they are generally disposed of

in landfills (Environmental Protection Department, 2011).

Liquid waste which can be discharged from any of various processes which may be industrial, mining,

commercial, agricultural, medical and domestic in nature are also known as effluent. Examples are; sludge and

chemical effluents from industries, waste oil from workshops, acid waste, waste water from fisheries, sewage,

etc. (Eseigbe, Omofomnwan, 2007 and Airgbede and Yusuf, 2010). Gaseous wastes are substances carried in air

which move without inhibition into any available space and may or may not be coloured. They can be in the

form of vehicle exhaust, cooking smoke, cigarette or cigarette smoke, asbestos dust, discharge from factory

chimneys or stacks, gas flaring, etc. (Eseigbe, 2007 and Anwsers.com, 2011).

Biodegradable waste items will disintegrate with the passage of time even when left on their own (see Table 1),

but, apart from creating health hazards, the rate of disintegration may be too slow for the rate of generation

thereby making the environment aesthetically unappealing. Owing to the multidimensional nature of waste and

its attendant negative effects on humans, wildlife and the environment, its management is highly crucial and

requires concerted effort.

Waste management practices which essentially covers the collection, conveyance, processing, recycling and

disposal of waste items is approached in different ways by different communities all with the same goal of

maintaining sustainable environment conducive for healthy human and wildlife habitation. Generally,

governments are responsible for the management of non – hazardous residential and institutional waste while,

commercial and industrial wastes are managed by their producers under government supervision. The practice of



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waste management is different from country to country depending on whether they are developing or developed,

it is also different in areas depending on whether they are urban or rural so is it different concerning the source

depending on whether they are residential, industrial or commercial. (Adewale, 2011, Andrew, 2011, Fagbohun

and Oke, 2011 and Wikipedia 2011).

Presently, waste generation and management in Uyo are haphazardly carried out with no clear responsibility

pattern between government and waste generators. This paper attempts to examine the management challenges

associated with waste in Uyo. Effort was also made to appraise the level of participation of government vis – a-

vis the generators. Government participation in waste management is not vibrant hence; the objectives of the

study are;

(i) To determine the institutional challenges associated with waste management and

(ii) To determine the socio – cultural challenges associated with waste management in Uyo

It was discovered that gaseous wastes are not of significant consequences as there are no industries producing

them in large quantities in the town, same goes for liquid waste which comes largely in the form of domestic

liquid waste that is drained into septic tanks, soak away pits and drainages. Consequently, the study will focus on

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM).

Table 1: Rate of Degeneration of Waste Items

Type of Waste Time Needed to Degenerate, if left Untreated

Organic wastes (vegetable, fruit, food, etc) 7 – 15 days

Paper 10 – 30 days

Cotton cloth 2 – 5 months

Woolen cloth 12 months

Tin, aluminium and other metal cans 200 500 years

Plastics 100 – 1000 + years

Glass Not determined

Source: Global Development Research Centre, 2013

2.0 Conceptual framework

Standard of living, economy, climate and cultural disposition are strong determinants of household waste

generation. Everett (2011) states that United States has the highest waste generation rate of 2.0 kg/person/day

while Europe and developing regions of the world have 0.9 – 1.70kg/person/day and 0.3 – 1kg/person/day

respectively. This waste must be collected and disposed for the environment to be safe for human occupation.

2.1 Solid Waste Collection

The whole process of waste management commences with waste sorting and collection. Litherland (2011)

explains that, there is need to appropriately sort out waste into recyclables and non – recyclables using different

collection materials as this will make disposal easy on account of the fact that, in some places the disposal

process is separated along that line. He further posited that, in the collection process, varied waste receptacle

options such as individual household trash bins, communal trash bins for apartment complexes, county recycling

containers, etc., are available for use in the collection of solid waste. Waste collectors can then go from house to

house or community to community to pick up these items of waste. These waste collectors can be private or

public sector driven, but their activities must be properly regulated as illegal waste collection companies that do

not have appropriate equipment like tippers (see plate 1.1), trucks and protective clothing for staff, can emerge

with such consequences as indiscriminate dumping of waste resulting in danger to humans and the environment

(Banda, 2011).



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Plate 1.1: Waste Dump and Collection Method

The timely collection of waste is highly crucial in order to prevent accumulation and its attendant consequences

of environmental degradation, possibility of epidemic outbreaks with devastating consequences, ground water

contamination, odour and distortion of aesthetic quality of the environment. When the rate of collection of waste

does not exceed or at least, match the rate of generation, facilities are over – stretched with resultant negative

effects such as neighbourhood air pollution, occasioned by illegal burning, etc. Omuta (2005) asserts that, the

real problem with solid waste is not the rate of generation but the rate of evacuation as the difference between

them is a measure of the degree of effectiveness of solid waste management.

2.2 Solid Waste Disposal

The apparent end of the waste management system is disposal which can be carried out through any of the

following methods; landfill, composting, thermal treatment and recycling. The common practice of waste

disposal in most countries is land filling which entails waste burial. Land filling method of waste disposal is in

two forms of sanitary land filling and composting, which are the permanent means of disposal as other means

just basically reduce the volume of waste. Biodegradable wastes which constitute the largest group of waste are

most suitable for landfills. In the sanitary landfill, waste is compacted in layers of about 3 meters with the aid of

earth moving equipment and covered with a thin layer of soil which is also compacted before another layer of

waste is brought.

Another method of waste disposal is thermal treatment which involves the application of heat. The two most

common forms of this method are incineration and pyrolysis. In incineration, which can be on a small scale, the

application of combustion is employed as waste items are burnt converting them into heat, gas, steam and ash. In

pyrolysis which is also known as destructive distillation, solid waste is decomposed by chemical means through

the application of heat in an atmosphere with reduced oxygen content to produce a gas stream basically of

hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and various other gases and inert ash, determined by the

organic characteristics of the waste constituents. The use of this method is, however, controversial due to issues

such as emission of gaseous pollutants (Huang, 2009 and, 2011).

Recycling is an age - old process which involves the recovery of reusable item from waste and consists of

different forms with increasing number through continued development. In recycling, raw materials may be

extracted or calorific content may be converted to electricity. Some of the recycling methods available today are

shredding, magnetic separation of metals, air classification that separates light and heavy fractions, screening,

and washing, and wet pulping.

3.0 The study area

Uyo Local Government Area was developed as an administrative centre between 1900 and 1906, with Mr. R. B.

Brooks as the first Assistant District Commissioner (Assistant District Officer). Its core area included Akpayak,

Ikot Afia, Nung Uyo, Aka and Oku. Uyo was not given the status of an urban centre until 1919 when it was

upgraded to a third class township with a prescribed coverage of 16 square kilometers (Ema, 1989) and included

the township areas of Ikot Oku, Ikot Ntuen Oku, Ewet, Anua, Ibiaku Offot, Adaha Eyop, Iboko and the present

Four Towns. When the Local Government Ordinance of 1950 which created counties, districts and local councils

in the country became operational, Uyo became the Headquarters of Uyo County Council. Uyo is located

between latitudes 4˚ 53’ and 5˚ 04’ north of the equator and longitudes 7˚ 48’ and 8˚ 02’ East of the Greenwich

Meridian. The estimated population of Uyo based on 2006 population census is 273,000.



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Uyo city acts as both a State and Local Government Headquarters. The study area is located within Uyo Capital

City Development Authority (UCCDA) as shown on fig. 1 (map of Uyo).

Fig. 1.1: Locations of waste receptacles and the sample sites on the map of Uyo Municipality

The study area is gradually acquiring the attributes of a cosmopolitan city and has witnessed a rapidly increasing

influx of strangers, especially since the advent of the present civilian dispensation. In essence, although the study

area was originally homogeneous in socio- cultural attributes and inhabited by the indigenous Ibibio ethnic

stock, the area has gradually transformed into an ethno-multilingual population with a growing influx of other

Akwa Ibom ethnic groups, Igbos, Hausas, Yorubas, etc. Nevertheless, the Ibibio indigenous stock constitutes

more than 80% of the population (Ukpong, Akpan and Akang, 2001).

4.0 Methodology

The primary data for this study was obtained from two sources namely; non – participant observation techniques

with application of structured interviews for institutional challenges and administration of questionnaires to

respondents for socio – cultural challenges. The multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for the study.

4.1 Sample Population

The first stage involved the determination of all the locations of solid waste receptacles in Uyo municipality

numbering 100, within the study area as shown on the map. Names of the 100 locations are given on Table 2.0.



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Table 2.0. Alphabetical Arrangement of the Locations of Solid Waste Receptacles in Uyo Municipality and

Sampling Points.

1. Afaha Ube Primary School

Road

38. House of Assembly Road 75. Osonga Ama Road

2. Aka Ida Eyop 39. IBB way 76. Paul Bassey

3. Aka Road by Nepa Line 40. Ibiam Street 77. Peter Ubo Street

4. Aka Road by Crunches 41. Iboko By Ikot Ekpene Road 78. Power City

5. Aka Nung Udoes Road 42. Iboko Street 79. Primary School Mbiabong

Anyanya

6. Aka Road Junction 43. Ibom Connection 1 80. Qua Iboe Church Itam

7. AKBC by Udoudoma 44. Ibom Connection 11 81. Ring Road 111

8. Akpakpan Street 45. Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat

1

82. Sanlaw Road

9. Akpan Essien Lane 46. Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat

11

83. Shelter Afrique

10. Akpan Essien Street 47. Ikot Abasi by Obio Imo

Street

84. Udi Street

11. Akwa Ima Estate 48. Ikot Ebido Street 85. Udo Edoyk

12. Apico House 49. Ikot Ekpuk Road 86. Udo Obot

13. Atakpo Street 50. Ikpa Road by Ekpanya Street 87. Udotung Ubo Street

14. Atiku Abubakar 51. Ikpa Road Junction 88. Udo Udoma Avenue

15. Ben Udo Street 52. Ita Oboho Street 89. Udo Umana by Akpan

Andem

16. Behind Oceanic Bank 53. Itiam Street 90. Udo Umana Street

17. By 149 Ikot Ekpene Road 54.Jobbina Station 91. Udo Usoro Street

18. By Ekpanya Street 55. Johnson Street 92. Udoh by Ebong Street

19. By Akpan Essien Street 56. Labour 93. Ukana Offot

20. By 58 Ikot Ekpene Road 57. Mbebeng 94. University of Uyo Teaching

Hospital

21. By Mobil Filling Station 58. Mkpong Street 95. Urua Ekpa Junction

22. Calabar Itu Road by Itam

Market

59. Ndiya Street 96. Uruan Street

23. Copper Lodge 60. NEPA line by Itiam 97. Uruan Street Junction

24. Effiong Ukpong 61. NEPA line by Nkemba Lane 98. Use Offot Market

25. Etuk Street 62. NEPA line by Okon Essien 99. Utang Street

26. Esuene by IBB Way 63. New Birth Bible Church 100. Uyo Village Road

27. Ekpenyong Street 64. New Park Road by New Park

28. Enwe Street 65. New Road by Calabar Itu

Road

29. Edem Akai Street 66. New Road by Primary

School

30. Ewet Housing Estate 67. Nkemba Street

31. Edet Akpan Avenue 68. Noah Udo Street

32. Ewet Street 69. Nsikak Edouk Avenue

33. Ernest Bassey Street 70. Nwaniba by Jehovah Witness

34. Federal Housing Estate 1 71. Nyong Essien

35. Federal Housing Estate 11 72. Obio Imo by Stadium

36. Gibbs Street 73. Old Park

37. Graceland School Road 74. Osong Ama Housing Estate

Source: Extracted from Figure 1, (Map of Uyo Municipality)



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Table 3.0. Sampling Points and Their Codes

Code Sample point

WM1 By 58 Ikot Ekpene Road

WM2 Osongama Housing Estate

WM3 University of Uyo Teaching Hospital

WM4 Calabar Itu Road By Itam Market

WM5 Ukana Offot

WM6 Ikot Ekpuk Road

WM7 Ibom Connection 11

WM8 Behind Oceanic Bank

WM9 Aka Road by Crunches

WM10 Ewet Street

WM11 Aka Road by NEPA Line

WM12 Ewet Housing C1

WM13 Ekpri Nsukara C11

WM14 NEPA Line by Okon Essien

WM15 NEPA Line by Nkemba Lane

WM16 Udoudoma by Akpan Andem Market

WM17 Afaha Ube Primary Schoo; Road

WM18 Ekpenyong Street

WM19 Ikot Ebido Street

WM20 Akpakpan Street

WM21 Urua Ekpa junction

WM22 Graceland School Road

4.2 Sample and Sample Technique

The Table of random numbers was used to randomly pick 20% of the streets (that is, 20 streets) and computed

as WMI to WM20 (the desired sample size) with two control areas labeled as C1 and C11 (Table 3.0). This

sample size is a true representation of 100 as stipulated by Stephens, (1996) and Kamisaka, (1998), which can be

used to arrive at a fairly accurate statistical result.

The last stage comprised of the systematic administration of questionnaires to respondents in stratified area of

the selected locations. A total of 120 questionnaires were given out, 103 were returned, representing 75% return.

These were subsequently used for analysis by applying descriptive statistics tools such as mean frequency,

percentages and averages. Further relevant data and information relating to the study were obtained from

secondary sources. The variables considered in the course of this study were; for institutional challenges;

capacity, resources and public attitude and socio – cultural challenges; awareness of the fact that some waste

items can be recycled, those who should dispose of waste, how comfortable respondents were to dispose of

waste, opinion on accumulation of waste, frequency of waste disposal and willingness to pay for waste disposal

services.

Data on solid waste management strategy were collected through field survey and official records of government

from the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources through the waste management unit. These data,

which constituted the independent variables, include: streets, equipment, waste volume, evacuation rate and

receptacles.

5.0 Assessment of solid waste management strategies in Uyo Municipality

The management of solid waste in Uyo is the sole responsibility of the State Ministry of Environment and

Mineral Resources. The waste management unit is located at Nung Ukot Itam near Itam Motor Park. Solid waste

evacuation team in Uyo municipality is made up of a vehicle, driver and three male casual workers known as

evacuators. The total number of staff in the unit is 90 workers, made up of 10 office staff, 20 drivers and 60

evacuators. The management strategy includes the partitioning of the total area of Uyo municipality into twenty

two (22) zones for the purpose of waste disposal. In each of the zones, at least one compactor truck and one

tipper are assigned for effective evacuation of waste. The dumpsite, which is at the end of Wellington Bassey

Street, is located right inside the old stadium via Udo Street or behind the University of Uyo. A caterpillar is

placed there to push the waste right into the valley bottom. A recent survey shows that waste categorization is as

presented in Table 4.0.



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Table 4.0 Types of Solid Waste in Uyo Municipality

Type of waste Percentage Core sources

Food remnants/vegetable matter

Cans, Scrap metals

Bottles/glasses

Plastics and polythene materials

Wood, carton, paper

Medical waste

Others, not specified

56.30

11.40

3.70

12.80

7.20

0.60

8.00

Markets, households, hotels/hostels

Mechanic village/workshop, building/construction sites

Hotels, Champion breweries

Schools, housing estates and super markets

Schools, government establishments, Hospitals, clinics

-

Source: FMEnv, Uyo (2013).

The bulk of solid waste generated are mainly biodegradable (food remnants and vegetable matter, either

generated from households or rotten vegetable matter) from markets, roadside food canteens/restaurants or

hotels. Worthy of note is the large quantity of plastic and polythene bags (12.80%). This trend is the way goods

are packaged by supermarkets, traders etc. In Uyo municipality, the aggregate flow of waste material from

generation to treatment and final disposal (waste stream) consists of waste collection from households, banks,

markets, schools, government establishments etc. into receptacles at strategically located and accessible points;

waste disposal by compactors and tippers and final dumping at the Wellington Bassey Street end by Udo Street,

right into the ravine.

A recent study by the Federal Ministry of Environment shows that about 30,327 tonnes of solid waste was

generated in Uyo in 2013. The data on solid waste evacuation from the study area shows that in September,

2013, the different zones were covered as presented in Table 5.0.

TABLE 5.0. Analysis of Solid Waste Evacuation in Uyo Municipally for the Month of September, 2012.

Route No of

streets

X1

No of

Tippers/Compactors

X2

No of

Receptacles

X3

Quantity of Waste

evacuated per day in tones

X4

Frequency of

evacuation

X5

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12(ctr1

)

13(ctr2)

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

10

9

8

9

9

6

8

9

8

8

8

10

8

9

9

6

10

10

8

9

10

9

5

5

3

5

5

3

5

3

3

5

3

5

3

5

3

5

3

3

5

3

5

5

60

58

56

59

58

50

60

58

54

56

52

60

56

59

58

50

60

59

56

58

60

59

120

116

112

118

116

100

120

116

108

112

104

120

112

118

116

100

120

118

112

116

120

118

5

4

2

3

4

5

3

4

2

4

3

5

2

4

3

5

4

4

3

4

5

4

Key of Frequency scores:

5= Twice a week evacuation



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4= Once a week evacuation

3= Once in two weeks evacuation

2= Once in a month evacuation

1= No evacuation

The respondent of the survey on socio – cultural challenges consisted of 45.63% males and 54.37% females (see

Table 6.0). 33.98% of them were graduates, 57.28% were NCE/OND/Secondary School Leavers/ Grade II

Certificate holders, 7.77% had primary school education while 0.97% had no formal education (see Table 7.0).

Furthermore, 33.98% were traders, 21.36% were technicians, 4.85% were professionals, 33.98% were civil

servants and 5.83% were housewives (see Table 8.0).

Table 6. 0 Gender Distributions of Respondents

Gender Frequency Percent

Male 47 45.63

Female 56 54.37

Total 103 100.00

Source: Author’s Survey, 2013

Table 7.0 Educational Qualifications of Respondents

Qualification Frequency Percent

Graduate 35 33.98

NCE/SSC/Grade II 59 57.28

Primary Education 8 7.77

No formal Educ. 1 0.97

Total 103 100.00


Table 8.0 Occupation of Respondents

Occupation Frequency Percent

Trader 35 33.98

Technician 22 21.36

Professional 5 4.85

Civil Servant 35 33.98

Housewife 6 5.83

Total 103 100.00


The result of the analysis of the data indicated that a little more than half of the respondents were females while

the rest were males. 99.03% of the respondents had at least primary education, which means that majority of

them had a clear understanding of the questionnaire and required little or no help to respond appropriately.

6.0 Discussion

Institutional Challenges

This study revealed that the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources is equipped with twelve 10 tone

tippers, three 50 tone compactor trucks are always employed for evacuating solid waste on different schedules.

The number of streets in each of the 22 routes was counted through field survey and data from the waste

management unit office at Nung Ukot Itam. Waste Volume was measured from the quantity of waste evacuated

per day in tones. Evacuation rate was measured based on the frequency of solid waste evacuation in the 22

routes. The calculation of the number of receptacles was made by survey on the number of streets in the different

routes.

Many residents also dump waste into flowing rain water and when rain is over, waste is seen on roads and other

spaces in most parts of the town. In some traditional parts of town, house had been built without planning which

has created problems of location for municipal services facilities such as waste dump sites. The belief that rain

water washes away all dirt thrown into it is a serious problem, as the Ministry is saddled with the burden of

avoidable additional work of clearing waste from the roads and drainages in the rainy season.

Socio – cultural Challenges

The survey revealed that 49.51% of the respondents were not aware that some waste items can be recycled,

while 50.49% were aware. However, none of these respondents separate their waste into recyclable and non-



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recyclable and non-recyclable items. Educating Uyo residents on the gains that can accrue from the separation of

waste into recyclable and non-recyclable items can yield beneficial results to the waste generators. Human

scavengers foraging through dump sites in search of recyclable waste items such as unbroken bottles, aluminum,

steel, etc. that can be sold for money are a common sight in the town.

On how comfortable the respondents were to dispose of waste, 3.88% claimed to be comfortable, 80.54% claim

to be uncomfortable and 15.54% claimed to be indifferent. Responses to opinion on accumulation of waste on

streets or neighbourhoods showed that 91.26% considered it to be very bad, 7.77% considered it to be bad while

a minute 0.97% expressed indifference. Although a large proportion of the respondents felt uncomfortable to

collect and dispose of waste, accumulation of waste on the streets was generally considered as very bad.

Responses to frequency of waste disposal by respondents revealed that 20.38% dispose of their waste daily,

38.83% do every other day, another 38.83% do weekly, while 1.96% do so monthly. This indicated that

frequency of collection and disposal of waste by the respondents ranged from daily to every other day to weekly

and to monthly with every other day ranking highest.

Willingness to pay for waste disposal services by the respondents recorded 58.25%, while 41.75% of them were

not willing to pay. This showed that over half of the respondents were willing to pay for waste disposal services,

if such services were readily available.

Recommendations and conclusion

Recommendations

1. Equipment and staffing at the waste management Ministry should be increased as that can guarantee

adequacy of their services.

2. The State Sanitation and Management Board should step up control to prevent dumping of waste items

in undesignated and unauthorized locations.

3. The Ministry should also increase its advocacy on the gains of separating waste into recyclable and

non-recyclable items and the hazards associated with indiscriminate disposal of waste.

4. The State Government should sponsor people to lean the technology of of recycling these waste items

into useful harmless products.

5. Government should encourage massive private sector participation in waste management as this will

engender employment generation opportunities for the unemployed and the competition that would

consequently arise would enhance reduction of the cost of waste management for the residents.

6. Waste should be evacuated from the collection sites regularly and disposed of adequately by the

Ministry to avoid accumulation its fallouts.

Conclusion

The survey reveals that several residents in Uyo understand the need to have a clean environment as well as the

challenges that might occur if the opposite were the case. The collection and final disposal of waste is fast

overwhelming the State Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources. Steady increase in waste variety and

quantity coupled with highly ineffective solid waste management system evidenced by waste dumps in drains

and public spaces have called for the need for improvement.

The deterioration of Uyo urban environment remains a challenge to the government especially to State Ministry

of Environment and Mineral Resources that is constitutionally responsible for managing the waste. The system is

based on temporary storage of solid waste in the designated receptacles and the subsequent evacuation and

dumping in the dumpsite along the Wellington Bassey Street end, inside the old stadium via Udo Street or

behind the University of Uyo.

A comprehensive assessment approach is essential towards improving the existing strategy, establish the

performance of present strategy and improve the knowledge base through provision of information to

stakeholders and creating a platform for discourse (Anschutz, 2004). While the generic principles of sustainable

development is especially relevant in Uyo, an emerging city whose viability can only be established through

sustainability experiences in its knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices in the face of an emerging economy

and legislature and ambiguity in the regulations (Ayotamuno and Gobo, 2004 ).

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Architecture and National Development Agenda V11: Sustainable Built Environment 1V. pp. 107 – 129.

Oloninisi, K. O. (2012). Challenges of Urban Waste Management in Lokoja, Nigeria: Architects Colloquium

2012 - Architecture and the Nigerian Development Agenda V: Sustainable Built Environment 11. pp. 62- 81.

Omuta, G. E. D. (1985). Intra – Urban Environmental Quality: A Study of Neighbourhoods in Benin City,

Nigeria. Department of Geography and Regional Planning, University of Benin.

Ukpong, D., Akpan, M. and Akang, N. (2001).Ikono- The Cradle of Ibibio Nation, Dorand Publishers. Uyo. pp

48 - 60.

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